By James Hanlon
Leader Staff Writer
Recreational marijuana businesses will have to wait to set up shop in Oxford Village at least until the end of the year.
At a special telemeeting May 26, Council voted to change the “repeal and sunset provision” of Ordinance No. 411 Prohibition of Marihuana Establishments, which “prohibits all marihuana establishments within the boundaries of the Village of Oxford.”
The new expiration date for the ordinance is Dec. 31, 2020. “This ordinance shall be repealed and held for naught on December 31, 2020 with no additional action of the Village of Oxford Council required to effectuate the repeal,” the amended sunset provision states.
Last year, council enacted a temporary ban on marijuana business to buy time for the planning commission and council to draft and pass an ordinance to regulate them. The proposed adult use ordinance would allow recreational marijuana businesses in the I-1 Industrial Zoning District along Glaspie St.
The prohibition of marijuana establishments was set to expire on June 30, 2020. An extension was necessary since legislation was interrupted by the coronavirus.
“We have to be really careful not to miss the sunset date,” Councilwoman Kelsey Cooke pointed out, “especially if we’re going to extend that date again. If we are even one day late and we get an application in for a recreational business in Oxford, then there’s going to be no local regulations and we can’t go back.”
“You are 100 percent correct,” Village Attorney Bob Davis agreed.
The amended ordinance with the new sunset provision goes into effect June 28, 2020.
The proposed Adult Use Marijuana Facilities ordinance would allow six types of facilities: grower, microbusiness, processor, retailer, safety compliance facility or secure transporter. (Each of these facilities has a technical definition.) All other facilities would be prohibited.
Grower: A facility where up to 6,000 marijuana plants are cultivated.
Microbusiness: A facility where not more than 150 marijuana plants are cultivated.
Processor: A facility that processes and packages marijuana.
Retailer: A facility that sells marijuana, marijuana-infused products or marijuana accessories.
Safety Compliance Facility: A facility that tests marijuana for the certification of potency and the presence of contaminants.
Secure transporter: A person licensed to transport marijuana between marijuana establishments.

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